There is a MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for the Strand in New Bedford with an exterior photo dated May 1941. The facade of the building had some fancy detail which is missing in the color photo posted above. The marquee proclaims “E.M. Loew’s Strand” and the attraction is “Northwest Mounted Police”. The Report states that the Strand is on “Asushnet” street, that it has been playing MGM product for over 5 years; that it is over 15 years old; is in Fair condition, and has 400 orchestra seats and 400 balcony seats.
The Faurot Opera House in Lima is listed in the 1897-98 Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide, an annual for roadshow managers. The theatre is listed as having 1,200 seats, was on the ground floor, had a proscenium opening of 31 feet wide X 35 feet high, with a stage 40 feet deep. There was both gas and electric illumination and the house orchestra had 9 members. Lima’s newspapers were the Gazette and the Times. Local hotels for show folk were the Faurot House, Lima, French House, Burnett, Harrod and Hoffman. The theatre manager was H.G. Hyde. Lima’s population in 1897 was 25,000.
There is a MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for the Royal Theatre in New Bedford with an exterior photo dated May 1941. The building had a narrow left bay with a store, and a wide right bay with the theatre’s entrance. There was a vertical sign and a very fancy rain canopy. In the photo, a short line of patrons is waiting to go in. The Report states that the Royal is at 987 South Water St., that it has been showing MGM films for over 10 years; that it’s over 15 years old (in 1941); and in Fair condition, and has 510 seats on the main floor and 418 balcony seats; total: 928 seats.
The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for the Empire has an exterior photo dated May 1941. The theatre had an impressive facade with a bulb-studded vertical sign and a long marquee. Attractions posted were “A Girl, A Guy and a Gob” plus “Argentina”. There were 6 poster cases along the facade. The Report states that the Empire is at 118 Elm Street in New Bedford, that it has been presenting MGM product for 4 years; that it’s less than 15 years old, in Good condition, and has 1,845 seats.
There is a MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for the New Bedford Theatre, with an exterior photo dated Sept. 1946. The theatre entrance was in the center of an imposing building at least 3 stories high. There is a very interesting old-fashioned marquee with an arched window above, and poster boards below. To the left of the entrance is the “New Bedford Theatre Confectionary” ice cream parlor. The Report states that the theatre is at 249 Union St., that it has been showing MGM product for 4 years; is over 15 years old and in Good condition, and has 573 orchestra seats and 750 balcony seats; total: 1,323 seats. There is an additional note: “House remodeled during 1945”.
On page 183 of the new book “A Field Guide to Southern New England Railroad Depots and Freight Houses” by John H. Roy Jr. (Branchline Press), there is a profile of the Rialto building with a small recent photo of the exterior. Author Roy says that the Rialto Theatre dates from 1923. He also mentions that after opening in 1876, the rail station existed for less than 20 years because a short connecting link was built which allowed trains coming up from Salem to use the main Lowell station. The building in the recent photo in the book is definitely the same as the photo in the 1941 MGM Report. But some details have been changed to back-date the building’s facade to its 19th-century appearance.
There is a MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for the Cape Cinema with an exterior photo dated May 1941. The Report refers to it simply as “Cinema”. In the photo, there is a large portable poster board next to the entrance. The Report states that the Cinema has been presenting MGM product for over 5 years; that it was less than 15 years old; and was in Deluxe condition. There were 274 seats on the main floor and 40 in the balcony, total: 314 seats. The Patronage was described as “DeLuxe Class – Summer”. There were no other cinemas in Dennis in 1941 and the population was 2,000.
As just plain “Open Air”, this drive-in is listed under the E.M. Loew circuit in the “Theatre Circuits in United States and Canada” section of the 1942-43 Motion Picture Almanac. E.M. Loew also ran the Capitol Theatre in Lynn at that time.
Richard D – your guess is close! The MGM Report says that the Center Theatre had 570 seats on the main floor and 134 in the balcony, total: 704, as of 1941. Thanks for clearing the matter up— I can now see that the data on the MGM Reports is correct, but the photos for the 2 theatres in Hyannis have been switched. The MGM agent said that the Hyannis Th. was in “Fair” condition, but the Center Th. was in “Excellent” condition,(in 1941).
The Castle Square Theatre is listed in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide, an annual for roadshow managers. The seating: Orchestra: 750, First Balcony: 400, Second Balcony: 562. Total: 1,712 seats, plus box seats. There 600 standing room spaces. Ticket prices ranged from 25 cents to 75 cents. The proscenium opening was 40 feet wide X 42 feet high, and the stage was 54 feet deep. There were 24 members in the house orchestra. The theatre is not listed in the 1927 Film Daily Yearbook under either the Arlington name or the Castle Sq. name, which implies that for the year prior to the publication the theatre hosted only live fare, and no movies. In the book “Boston’s Bridges” by Yanni Tsipis (Arcadia Publ. 2004), there are 2 photos which show the right exterior wall of the Castle Sq. Theatre not long before demolition. The photos are on page 116 (bottom) and page 117 (top). ( These comments replace postings to this page which were recently deleted in error.)
The essay “Saga of the Movie Industry in Boston” by Joseph S. Cifre was published in some type of magazine, either a trade publication or a historical society bulletin. I’m guessing it was written around 1950, and I estimate that Joe Cifre was born around 1890. In the 1950s, his name and comments were in the newspapers occasionally because he was considered an authority on Boston movie theatres and film distribution. He got his start as a teenager with his brother, working at his dad’s nickleodeon in the West End (near North Station). That was the Monaco at Green & Hale streets in 1905. If you go to the Tufts University library system and can find the Earle Stanley Stewart theatre collection there, look for a paper-bound booklet, 8 x 11 inches, with a cream cover with an exterior photo of the Old Howard Theatre on it, and titled “Boston Convention July 1983, Theatre Historical Society”. That booklet was published by “Charlie” Stewart and contains not only the entire Cifre article, but a page of additional comments, author unknown (probably Charlie).In addition, the Collection probably has the original publication in which the Cifre article appeared.
The Boston Post for Sept 23, 1947 has an alphabetical list of Boston movie theatres on its entertainment page with the current schedule of movies. For the South Station Theatre, the entry says that it’s open from 930AM to Midnight, with the following: “Song of a Nation”, “Party Line”, Sports, Travel, The Answer Man, Cartoons, Comedy, News.
The entertainment page of the Boston Post for Sept. 23, 1947 has a listing of movie times at Boston theatres. The Keith Boston is listed (without the “RKO”) showing the movie “High Conquest” which is screened 5 times during the day, starting at 1045AM, and a stage show which is presented 4 times during the day starting at 1230PM.
The entertainment pages of Boston newspapers in the late-1940s had a section of very small ads for Neighborhood Theatres. The Mattapan Theatre shared an ad with the Magnet Theatre in Dorchester. The 2 theatre names were at the top of the little ad, and the same movies were booked into both theatres simultaneously.
The theatre pages of various editions of the Boston Post in the late-1940s have small ads for the Magnet Theatre and the Mattapan Theatre. The two theatre names (with their phone numbers) are at the top of the ad, with the same movies playing at both.
The Greendale Theatre was included in the MGM Theatre Photograph and Report project. There is an exterior photo dated May 1941. It was a brick building 3 stories high. There was a handsome tower which contained the marquee and the entrance. The tower had a tall glass window and, at the top, a glass structure similar to that at the top of a lighthouse. The marquee had “Greendale” at the top in neon-outlined letters. Attractions were “Dancing on a Dime” and “Man Against the Sky.” There was a large tree to the left of the entrance- the theatre was not downtown. The Report states that the Greendale was on Barker Avenue, that it had been showing MGM product for 2 years; that it was built in 1939, was in Good condition and had 754 seats and attracted a “Class” patronage (meaning “high class”). Today, the USPS Zip-code locater does not have a “Barker Avenue” (or Street, Road) in Worcester.
The Wilbor in Eastport was included in the MGM Theatre Photograph and Report project, but unfortunately, no one filled out the form. So there are no details. There is an exterior photo which is undated. Most of the other photos in the project were taken in 1941, with a few taken in 1946-50. The Wilbor was downtown. It was a free-standing 2-story building with shingled sides. It had a fancily-decorated facade which made it stand out. There was a vertical blade sign with the theatre name, under which was a 2-sided triangular marquee. There were 3 large poster cases on each side of the center entrance. There is no info about on what street it was located, how many seats it had, etc. The Wilbor is not listed in the 1942-43 Motion Picture Almanac, which means that it was not part of a circuit of at least 5 theatres. For some reason, although the MGM photo is clearly marked “Eastport Maine”, the photo was filed with towns beginning with “E” in Massachusetts. (There is no Eastport MA).Does anyone know anything about the Wilbor ?
In numerous theater pages of the Boston Post in the late-1940s, the Bellevue (no “Community”) shared a small ad with the Rialto, also in Roslindale. The two theatre names were at the top of the ad, with the same movies showing at both theatres simultaneously. One would have thought that management would have booked a different movie into each theatre for the sake of variety.
In the Boston Post theatre pages of the late-1940s, the Rialto in Roslindale shared a small ad with the Bellevue Theatre, also in Roslindale. Their names appeared at the top of the ad, with the same bill featured at both theatres. It seems odd that there was no choice of film for movie-goers in Roslindale who patronized these two houses.
The Strand was included in the MGM Theatre Photograph and Report project. There is an exterior photo dated April 1941. It had a fancy 2-story entrance with a large arch, with “Strand” printed at the top just below the cornice. There was no marquee but there were poster cases at street level and horizontal poster boards above the entrance. The Report states that the Strand is not showing MGM films, that it was built over 15 years ago and is in Fair condition, and has 700 seats on the main floor and 275 in the balcony, total: 975 seats (not 925 as above). It was part of Levenson circuit at one time. I recall this theatre in the late-1940s and early-1950s, but don’t remember if I ever went into it. It was on Main Street downtown but I don’t recall if it was on the same side as the North Shore Theatre, or on the opposite side.
The Auditorium was included in the MGM Theatre Photograph and Report project. There is an exterior photo dated May 1941. The cinema was located in a brick building with a stately facade about 4 stories high. Near the top is engraved “Orleans Municipal Building”. There is a center entrance with a double door. There is no marquee but there are large portable poster boards on either side of the entrance. There are 4 pilasters across the facade and a big cornice above. The Report states that the Auditorium is on Main Street, that it has been showing MGM films “for 20 years” , but then says that it opened in 1933, 8 years earlier. (typical of the mistakes found in these reports). It says that it is in Good condition, and has 500 seats, all on one floor. There are no competing theatres, and the 1940 population of Orleans is 1,300. Although “Vermont” is typed under “State” on the Report, it was for some reason filed alphabetically by town with the Reports for Massachusetts, so at first I thought it referred to Orleans MA on Cape Cod. It’s a good example of a 1940-era American rural movie theatre.
In the late-1940s, the Revere Theatre shared an ad with the Boulevard Theatre, also in Revere, in the theatre pages of the Boston Globe. The small ad had the 2 theatre names at the top with the same bill listed for both. Since the two theatres were fairly close together in the same city, why did management book the same films into both at the same time ?
In the Boston Post entertainment pages in the late-1940s, the Boulevard Theatre and the Revere Theatre shared the same small ad, with their names at the top. They both showed the same program, which seems odd.
Boston film pioneer Joe Cifre in his long undated essay “Saga of the Movie Industry in Boston” says that the Imperial was one of the early movie houses in Boston in the post-1906 era.
There is a MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for the Strand in New Bedford with an exterior photo dated May 1941. The facade of the building had some fancy detail which is missing in the color photo posted above. The marquee proclaims “E.M. Loew’s Strand” and the attraction is “Northwest Mounted Police”. The Report states that the Strand is on “Asushnet” street, that it has been playing MGM product for over 5 years; that it is over 15 years old; is in Fair condition, and has 400 orchestra seats and 400 balcony seats.
The Faurot Opera House in Lima is listed in the 1897-98 Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide, an annual for roadshow managers. The theatre is listed as having 1,200 seats, was on the ground floor, had a proscenium opening of 31 feet wide X 35 feet high, with a stage 40 feet deep. There was both gas and electric illumination and the house orchestra had 9 members. Lima’s newspapers were the Gazette and the Times. Local hotels for show folk were the Faurot House, Lima, French House, Burnett, Harrod and Hoffman. The theatre manager was H.G. Hyde. Lima’s population in 1897 was 25,000.
There is a MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for the Royal Theatre in New Bedford with an exterior photo dated May 1941. The building had a narrow left bay with a store, and a wide right bay with the theatre’s entrance. There was a vertical sign and a very fancy rain canopy. In the photo, a short line of patrons is waiting to go in. The Report states that the Royal is at 987 South Water St., that it has been showing MGM films for over 10 years; that it’s over 15 years old (in 1941); and in Fair condition, and has 510 seats on the main floor and 418 balcony seats; total: 928 seats.
The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for the Empire has an exterior photo dated May 1941. The theatre had an impressive facade with a bulb-studded vertical sign and a long marquee. Attractions posted were “A Girl, A Guy and a Gob” plus “Argentina”. There were 6 poster cases along the facade. The Report states that the Empire is at 118 Elm Street in New Bedford, that it has been presenting MGM product for 4 years; that it’s less than 15 years old, in Good condition, and has 1,845 seats.
There is a MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for the New Bedford Theatre, with an exterior photo dated Sept. 1946. The theatre entrance was in the center of an imposing building at least 3 stories high. There is a very interesting old-fashioned marquee with an arched window above, and poster boards below. To the left of the entrance is the “New Bedford Theatre Confectionary” ice cream parlor. The Report states that the theatre is at 249 Union St., that it has been showing MGM product for 4 years; is over 15 years old and in Good condition, and has 573 orchestra seats and 750 balcony seats; total: 1,323 seats. There is an additional note: “House remodeled during 1945”.
Grand Mogul- please recheck the 1944 date on your Gossip Column clipping—the movie version of “Oklahoma!” came out in the 1950s and was a big hit.
On page 183 of the new book “A Field Guide to Southern New England Railroad Depots and Freight Houses” by John H. Roy Jr. (Branchline Press), there is a profile of the Rialto building with a small recent photo of the exterior. Author Roy says that the Rialto Theatre dates from 1923. He also mentions that after opening in 1876, the rail station existed for less than 20 years because a short connecting link was built which allowed trains coming up from Salem to use the main Lowell station. The building in the recent photo in the book is definitely the same as the photo in the 1941 MGM Report. But some details have been changed to back-date the building’s facade to its 19th-century appearance.
There is a MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for the Cape Cinema with an exterior photo dated May 1941. The Report refers to it simply as “Cinema”. In the photo, there is a large portable poster board next to the entrance. The Report states that the Cinema has been presenting MGM product for over 5 years; that it was less than 15 years old; and was in Deluxe condition. There were 274 seats on the main floor and 40 in the balcony, total: 314 seats. The Patronage was described as “DeLuxe Class – Summer”. There were no other cinemas in Dennis in 1941 and the population was 2,000.
As just plain “Open Air”, this drive-in is listed under the E.M. Loew circuit in the “Theatre Circuits in United States and Canada” section of the 1942-43 Motion Picture Almanac. E.M. Loew also ran the Capitol Theatre in Lynn at that time.
Richard D – your guess is close! The MGM Report says that the Center Theatre had 570 seats on the main floor and 134 in the balcony, total: 704, as of 1941. Thanks for clearing the matter up— I can now see that the data on the MGM Reports is correct, but the photos for the 2 theatres in Hyannis have been switched. The MGM agent said that the Hyannis Th. was in “Fair” condition, but the Center Th. was in “Excellent” condition,(in 1941).
The Castle Square Theatre is listed in the 1897-98 edition of the Julius Cahn Official Theatrical Guide, an annual for roadshow managers. The seating: Orchestra: 750, First Balcony: 400, Second Balcony: 562. Total: 1,712 seats, plus box seats. There 600 standing room spaces. Ticket prices ranged from 25 cents to 75 cents. The proscenium opening was 40 feet wide X 42 feet high, and the stage was 54 feet deep. There were 24 members in the house orchestra. The theatre is not listed in the 1927 Film Daily Yearbook under either the Arlington name or the Castle Sq. name, which implies that for the year prior to the publication the theatre hosted only live fare, and no movies. In the book “Boston’s Bridges” by Yanni Tsipis (Arcadia Publ. 2004), there are 2 photos which show the right exterior wall of the Castle Sq. Theatre not long before demolition. The photos are on page 116 (bottom) and page 117 (top). ( These comments replace postings to this page which were recently deleted in error.)
The essay “Saga of the Movie Industry in Boston” by Joseph S. Cifre was published in some type of magazine, either a trade publication or a historical society bulletin. I’m guessing it was written around 1950, and I estimate that Joe Cifre was born around 1890. In the 1950s, his name and comments were in the newspapers occasionally because he was considered an authority on Boston movie theatres and film distribution. He got his start as a teenager with his brother, working at his dad’s nickleodeon in the West End (near North Station). That was the Monaco at Green & Hale streets in 1905. If you go to the Tufts University library system and can find the Earle Stanley Stewart theatre collection there, look for a paper-bound booklet, 8 x 11 inches, with a cream cover with an exterior photo of the Old Howard Theatre on it, and titled “Boston Convention July 1983, Theatre Historical Society”. That booklet was published by “Charlie” Stewart and contains not only the entire Cifre article, but a page of additional comments, author unknown (probably Charlie).In addition, the Collection probably has the original publication in which the Cifre article appeared.
The Boston Post for Sept 23, 1947 has an alphabetical list of Boston movie theatres on its entertainment page with the current schedule of movies. For the South Station Theatre, the entry says that it’s open from 930AM to Midnight, with the following: “Song of a Nation”, “Party Line”, Sports, Travel, The Answer Man, Cartoons, Comedy, News.
The entertainment page of the Boston Post for Sept. 23, 1947 has a listing of movie times at Boston theatres. The Keith Boston is listed (without the “RKO”) showing the movie “High Conquest” which is screened 5 times during the day, starting at 1045AM, and a stage show which is presented 4 times during the day starting at 1230PM.
The entertainment pages of Boston newspapers in the late-1940s had a section of very small ads for Neighborhood Theatres. The Mattapan Theatre shared an ad with the Magnet Theatre in Dorchester. The 2 theatre names were at the top of the little ad, and the same movies were booked into both theatres simultaneously.
The theatre pages of various editions of the Boston Post in the late-1940s have small ads for the Magnet Theatre and the Mattapan Theatre. The two theatre names (with their phone numbers) are at the top of the ad, with the same movies playing at both.
The Greendale Theatre was included in the MGM Theatre Photograph and Report project. There is an exterior photo dated May 1941. It was a brick building 3 stories high. There was a handsome tower which contained the marquee and the entrance. The tower had a tall glass window and, at the top, a glass structure similar to that at the top of a lighthouse. The marquee had “Greendale” at the top in neon-outlined letters. Attractions were “Dancing on a Dime” and “Man Against the Sky.” There was a large tree to the left of the entrance- the theatre was not downtown. The Report states that the Greendale was on Barker Avenue, that it had been showing MGM product for 2 years; that it was built in 1939, was in Good condition and had 754 seats and attracted a “Class” patronage (meaning “high class”). Today, the USPS Zip-code locater does not have a “Barker Avenue” (or Street, Road) in Worcester.
The Wilbor in Eastport was included in the MGM Theatre Photograph and Report project, but unfortunately, no one filled out the form. So there are no details. There is an exterior photo which is undated. Most of the other photos in the project were taken in 1941, with a few taken in 1946-50. The Wilbor was downtown. It was a free-standing 2-story building with shingled sides. It had a fancily-decorated facade which made it stand out. There was a vertical blade sign with the theatre name, under which was a 2-sided triangular marquee. There were 3 large poster cases on each side of the center entrance. There is no info about on what street it was located, how many seats it had, etc. The Wilbor is not listed in the 1942-43 Motion Picture Almanac, which means that it was not part of a circuit of at least 5 theatres. For some reason, although the MGM photo is clearly marked “Eastport Maine”, the photo was filed with towns beginning with “E” in Massachusetts. (There is no Eastport MA).Does anyone know anything about the Wilbor ?
In numerous theater pages of the Boston Post in the late-1940s, the Bellevue (no “Community”) shared a small ad with the Rialto, also in Roslindale. The two theatre names were at the top of the ad, with the same movies showing at both theatres simultaneously. One would have thought that management would have booked a different movie into each theatre for the sake of variety.
In the Boston Post theatre pages of the late-1940s, the Rialto in Roslindale shared a small ad with the Bellevue Theatre, also in Roslindale. Their names appeared at the top of the ad, with the same bill featured at both theatres. It seems odd that there was no choice of film for movie-goers in Roslindale who patronized these two houses.
The Strand was included in the MGM Theatre Photograph and Report project. There is an exterior photo dated April 1941. It had a fancy 2-story entrance with a large arch, with “Strand” printed at the top just below the cornice. There was no marquee but there were poster cases at street level and horizontal poster boards above the entrance. The Report states that the Strand is not showing MGM films, that it was built over 15 years ago and is in Fair condition, and has 700 seats on the main floor and 275 in the balcony, total: 975 seats (not 925 as above). It was part of Levenson circuit at one time. I recall this theatre in the late-1940s and early-1950s, but don’t remember if I ever went into it. It was on Main Street downtown but I don’t recall if it was on the same side as the North Shore Theatre, or on the opposite side.
The Auditorium was included in the MGM Theatre Photograph and Report project. There is an exterior photo dated May 1941. The cinema was located in a brick building with a stately facade about 4 stories high. Near the top is engraved “Orleans Municipal Building”. There is a center entrance with a double door. There is no marquee but there are large portable poster boards on either side of the entrance. There are 4 pilasters across the facade and a big cornice above. The Report states that the Auditorium is on Main Street, that it has been showing MGM films “for 20 years” , but then says that it opened in 1933, 8 years earlier. (typical of the mistakes found in these reports). It says that it is in Good condition, and has 500 seats, all on one floor. There are no competing theatres, and the 1940 population of Orleans is 1,300. Although “Vermont” is typed under “State” on the Report, it was for some reason filed alphabetically by town with the Reports for Massachusetts, so at first I thought it referred to Orleans MA on Cape Cod. It’s a good example of a 1940-era American rural movie theatre.
In the late-1940s, the Revere Theatre shared an ad with the Boulevard Theatre, also in Revere, in the theatre pages of the Boston Globe. The small ad had the 2 theatre names at the top with the same bill listed for both. Since the two theatres were fairly close together in the same city, why did management book the same films into both at the same time ?
In the Boston Post entertainment pages in the late-1940s, the Boulevard Theatre and the Revere Theatre shared the same small ad, with their names at the top. They both showed the same program, which seems odd.
Boston film pioneer Joe Cifre in his long undated essay “Saga of the Movie Industry in Boston” says that the Imperial was one of the early movie houses in Boston in the post-1906 era.